Apparel



May s, 192s. 1,668,744 l F. W. `TULLY APPAREL Filed Dec. 10, '1917 Patented May 8, 1928.

`UNITED STATES lLengua. PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS W. TLLY, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPAREL.

Application filed December 10, 1917. Serial No.l 206,389.

This invention relates to apparel of the class adapted to be laundered.

Custom and habits of neatness prescribe for both men and women garments of the general type of shirts and waists adapted to e refreshed and cleansed by laundering. In many occupations'neatness of appearance is essential to the wearer but is maintained with diiiiculty owing to the necessities of the occupation. During a singlel day workers in stores and in shops, amanuenses, and clerks and other workers in many varieties of occupation find the exposed portions of their garments subject to soiling unavoidable y from the nature of the occupation and damlarge, and a burden upon-the supply .for i' more necessary uses. It is therefore desirable to provide a class of garments adapted to resist casual soiling, but still ca able of being cleansed at suiciently short lntervals to maintain actual cleanliness. Principal objects of this invention are to rovide apparel of the class indicated which sha-l1 be capable of being laundered but which shall resist soiling, spotting and deformation of surface by wetting. I am aware of the various rubber, Celluloid and other imitation laundered fabric parts and attachments for garments which have heretofore constituted the best known approach to the class of garment in question, but the said imitation collars, cuffs, etc., fail of their purpose because of their distinctive and essential falsity of appearance and because they are necessarily detached objects,I incapable of being laundered with the remainder of the garment. x

Further objects of the invention are therefore to provide garments and sections of garments having only at the portions subjected to Wear and' soiling a transparent or translucent waterproof, cementitious, plastic linish, application or addition tothe fabric,

and having the characteristic of displaying the texture and color of the treated portion of the cloth, but preventing the enetratlon a or holding of water, dirt and ot er soiling agents.

In the accompanying drawings showing illustrative species of arments and sections of garments illustratlve of the genus comprised by the invention,-

Figure 1 is an elevation of a shirt embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an elevation of the bosom )ortion of a stili' shirt embodying' the invention;

Figure 3' is a detail of a wrist band;

Figure 4 is an elevation of a cuff Figure 5 is an elevation of a cuff intended to be detached and representing a stage product of the manufacture;

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Figure 7 is an elevation of a folded collar illustrating the invention; f

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7;

Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 2, illustrating a stage' in the manufacture;

Figure l() is a section on said line illustrating the complete product;

Figure 11 is a section on linell-ll of Fig. 1 showing a soft folded cuil.

Figure 12 is a view illustrating the cuff shown in Fig. 11 as a stage product; and

Figurev 13 is a section similar to Fig. 11, illustrating another construction.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the shirt [or womans shirtwaist] illustrated in said figure may be provided with a bosom aortion 1, collar 2 and cuffs 3 of any usual orm or construction. As usual, these parts may be in part of double layers or multi-ply; the collar 2, for instance, being composed of three or more layers and the cuffs 3, as illustrated in Fig. 11, being composed oftwo or more layers, the outer layers a being of the fabric of the body of the garment, an inner layer b being a stiener or filler fabric; but any other known or usual construction may be employed.

In the mans shirt shown inl Fig. 2, the bosom portion 5 ma be of the stiif type, and the garment may be, intended to be worn with a detachable collar and to be provided with a collar band 6 of usual construction 4except as hereinafter specified.

The parts so far mentioned are all exposed parts liable tobe soiled or rumpled in use, and in accordance with this invention these parts are treated by spreading, spraying, padding or dipping, or by application with a brush or other applicator, and if desired by the subsequent action of rolls, with a translucent or transparent, waterproof, cementitious substance, preferably adapted to resist the action of moderate heat, such as laundry ironing, and adapted to resist the action of the usual soapy or alkaline wash-Water employed in laundering operations.

Material for the finishing, coating or protecting operation as indicated may be any material. adapted to secure the specified results, but I prefer to employ a plastic, cementitious, adhesive solution of cellulose in `'a solvent. Cellulose acetate dissolved in acetone of a limpid consistency but having sufiicient cellulose acetate in solution to leave a substantial residue upon evaporation of the acetone solvent is an advantageous and preferred material. In some cases I may employ, however, other cellulose compounds such as cellulose nitrate in a suitable solvent, such as amylacetate or anether. And in some cases I may treat the outer face of 2l section, such as the collar 2 or the bosom 5, with the cellulose acetate solution, the filler or the inner or back face or both, with a cellulose nitrate solution, this procedure being adapted to take advantage of a difference in cost between the respective treating solutions, and the superior resistance to heat of the application containing cellulose acetate.

Fabric of the usual materials for shirts, shirt-waists and the like subjected to the treatment above described, and then subjected to drying in a flat state with or without the application of heat and flattening pressure presents the appearance of having been starched andironed. The color and texture of the fabric is not altered but is displayed beneath the transparent or translucent applied material, which when finished has a matte surface. If desired, a pigment may be mixed with the application. The application-may be increased if desired to form a perceptible coating as by drying the first application and repeating the application until the dried application is sufficiently heavy. The object is not to stiffen the cloth to board-like stiffness, or necessarily to fill its textural interstices, but to impregnate and protect Ithe component yarns so as to render the fabric impermeable to moisture except under prolonged agitation and soaking, and so as to provide a finished material offering little frictional holdfor ordinary types of soil and dirt. Fabrics so treated is adapted to be cleansed with a damp cloth unless the soiling is very thorough. Fabric so treated may be laundered by the usual methods Without starching, flat drying and pressing with a comparatively cold iron bei'n sufficient to restore the fiatness and goo appearance of the treated parts after washing. But as hereinafter described, parts desired to be very stiff pass like the body of the garment, as a', and a filler of a coarser cloth or preferably of hard paper of good quality as shown at f. Such part of the garment may be assembled by turning in the edges of the face plies a', a', placing a filler f between them and then sewing the edges, but I prefer to first to saturate the filler and treat the face plies with the treating plastic and then assemble the Whole as shown at Fig. 10, with the aid of pressure, and if desired, pressure and heat, so that the plies are cemented together.

Such a section, as illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, may be sewn in place after treatment, but the treatment of the fabric of which it is composed makes sewing somewhat more,

difficult, and I therefore prefer to leave the edges of such a section, illust-rated by the edge d of the cuff a illustrated in Fig. 5, Without any coating, and then apply the treated cuff tothe garment and sew on as usual. The sewed seam may be treated with some of the solution and dried in a flat state if desired.

For a soft or turnover collar or cuf't` as typified by the cuff 3 of Figs. 1 and 11, the face plies a and the filler ply ZJ may be separately treated and then assembled, or may be treated and dried while the plies are spaced apart.

The same steps may be taken to make the collar 7, such as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, and the cufrl 3 if desired may be subjected to the same partial treatment as illustrated for the cuff c in Fig. 5, the portion d of Fig. 12 of the cuff being left wlthout any coating until it is sewed in place on the garment.

When the material of the shirt or other garments is relatively heavy, as of cheviot shirting, two plies may be sufficient for a cuff or other part and the structure may be that illustrated in Fig. 18 comprising the face plies a2, e2, only, which may or may not be stuck together by the coating material.

It will be readily understood by those skilled in the .art that the form of the garment may vary widely; for instance, a shirt such as shown in Fig. 1 may have a sleeve endin in a wrist band fw as shown in Fig. 3 an a separate culi c may be provided for attachment thereto in the usual manner, both the Wrist band 'w and the cuff o being treated.

I have found in practice that the resistance to moisture and soiling of garments treated as described is accompanied by an in ness from layers of the cloth or material lll) creased durability of rthe exposed parts,

due to abrasion while wet, a dry fabric resisting Wear atthese places. The described treatment also adds to the tensile and wearresistant strength of the material by binding ogether the fibres of which it is comose p WhenI have herein referred to the Waterproof cementitious protective substance as translucent I intend theword to be taken in its generic significance, as inclusive of substances transmitting light, whether or not the light is diffused.

, What I claim is:

1. A textile fabric garment of the class adapted to be laundered by washinof and ironing having parts only protected fDrom Wear, rumpling and rapid soiling by including therein an application of a translucent material characterized by resistance to the action of soap or alkaline washing liquids,

the remainder of the garment being absorb-.

ent and the whole Washable, the treated portions visually display-ing the texture and coloring'of the untreated cloth.

2. A textile fabric garment of the class adapted to be laundered having parts only protected from Wear, soiling, rumpling and the penetration of moisture by the impregnation of the interstitial spaces of the component yarns with a translucent, Waterproof cementitious material insoluble in soapy or alkaline 'Washing liquids, and adapted to resist disintegration by thefaction of moderate heat, such as laundry ironing, substantially` thevuntreated color and texture of the porT tion of the fabric treated being visually dis- I played at the treated portions.

3. A textile fabric garment of the class y adapted to be laundered having only those parts exposed to rapid Wear, soiling, rumpling and the penetration of moisture in use protected by the impregnation of the interstitial spaces of the component yarns of said parts only"witl1 a cellulose compound characterized by retention of its specific properties 'under moderate heat and. pressure, such as laundry ironing, the remaining i parts of the garment being untreated.

4. A textile fabric garment of the class adapted to be laundered having only those parts exposed to rapid wear, soiling, rum

pling and the penetration of moisture in use 'f protected by the impregnationpf the interstitial spaces of the component yarnsof said parts onlywith the residuelof arsoluoion of cellulose acetate left by evaporation of the solvent.

5. A garment section having a portion only thereof impregnated with a translucent 'waterproof cementitious material and displaying the color and texture of the untreated cloth, said section having a portion untreated, whereby sewing in the untreated portion subsequent to treatment is facilitated.

6. A textile fabric garment of `the class described having a multiply section stiffened by impregnation with a translucent waterproof cementitious plastic material causing the plies to adhere to eachother.

7. A garment of the class described having a multiply section including face plies of cloth and a filling ly saturated with a translucent WaterproofP cementitious material.

8. A textile fabric garment for wear as a shirt having portions only of the garment, locally bearing an impregnation of a translucent cementitious waterproofu heat resisting substance adapted to protect said portions from rapid soiling, rumpling, and the absorption of moisture, the garment being adapted to be cleansed by washing and smoothed by ironing.

9. Web material having a permanent stiffness in portions thereof produced bytreatment of the web subsequent to the formation ofthe latter, and havingvother portions vthereof in a soft and vpliable state adapted to facilitate folding.

10. A fabricj of uniform oiiginal texture, which has been made Y ermanently stiff except at predeterminef folding or cutting lines. l

""11. An article lof wearing apparel made ,in whole or in part of separate layers or plies of fabric secured together -by an intermediate'layer or layers of binding material, at least two layers or lies of fabric extending mil beyond the main united portion of the fabric,

said layers being untreated with the binding material, and turned in and secured to form the edge binding.

12. An article of wearing apparel made in' whole or in part of separate layers or plies of fabric, secured together by an intermediatelayer or layers of binding material, .the outer layers or plies of fabric extending beyond the inner layer or layers and forming a divided edge which is turned inand stitched to formfthe edge. binding.

.Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 7th day of December, 1917.

' FRANCIS W.' TULLY. 

